California AG Rob Bonta Denies CNN Spinoff Would End Paramount Merger Lawsuit

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has denied a claim by FCC Chair Brendan Carr that the state would drop its antitrust lawsuit against the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger if CNN was spun off.

Bonta clarified his stance in a statement on social media on Wednesday, directly refuting Carr's reported assertion. "Unsure where this reporting originated from, but I’ve literally never said this," Bonta wrote on X. He added, "Spinning off one channel from a media conglomerate is not a sufficient remedy to protect consumers and preserve competition in the film and television industry."

What did the FCC chair claim?

Carr's comments came in an interview with The Hill earlier on Wednesday. He referenced recent news reports, stating, "There was a story that broke a couple weeks ago that said that California was floating the idea, according to news reports, of dropping all antitrust litigation if there was one condition that was met," which he said was "spinning off of CNN." Carr added, "So, I think it’s a bit of a tell that this really isn’t a legitimate antitrust case, but ultimately, that’ll be up for the courts to decide."

What does California want instead?

While rejecting the CNN-specific remedy, Bonta has indicated openness to broader "structural remedies." In a Tuesday interview on KQED Forum, he explained, "What’s a structural remedy? It means keeping corporate entities separate." He listed examples such as keeping a suite of cable channels, a streaming service, or a film studio separate from the merged company.

The lawsuit, which Bonta filed on Monday leading a coalition of 12 states, seeks to block the merger entirely. In a statement announcing the legal action, Bonta called the deal "unlawful." A Paramount spokesperson shared that the company plans to "vigorously defend the transaction and demonstrate that this challenge is inconsistent with sound competition policy and the competitive realities of the media marketplace."